Lagos school wins national music contest

Honeyland Schools, located in the Abesan area of Lagos State, has been crowned the winner of the ninth National Interschool Music Competition and Academic Award; a prize which comes with the sum of N200,000.

The school was presented with a cheque and trophy while the participating orchestra were presented with medals for coming tops after a review.

The ninth edition of the competition was held on February 13, 2025 at the University of Lagos but an error in marks allocation occurred, which led to a review committee being raised by the organisers.

However, on Friday, April 4, 2025, Honeyland was adjudged the winner of the ninth edition which had the theme, ‘Music for Social Change.’

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the National Inter-school Music Competition, Olubunmi Adebowale, said, “To Honeyland College, we extend our sincerest congratulations. Your outstanding performance, dedication and talents truly embody the spirit of this competition. The mistake at the main event was regrettable, but today, we set the record straight. You have earned this honour, and we celebrate you with the full recognition you deserve. To all participating schools, I want to assure you that this competition remains committed to fair play, credibility, and meritocracy. This correction is a testament to the fact that we will always stand for what is right, no matter the circumstances. We understand that such errors can shake confidence, but let this moment reassure you that integrity will always prevail here.”

Speaking about his school’s success, the elated administrator of Honeyland School, Akinleye Oludayo, opined that the organisers had displayed integrity.

Recalling how they prepared for the competition, the music director of the winning school, Adeniyi Bamidele, added, “We kept preparing for the competition and the school management has been very supportive of our progress. This is not the first time we are winning this competition but it feels great to win again. On the inspiration behind the winning song, we had done a new afrobeats song but my instinct told me to do a reggae song instead, which was something unusual. However, we did it, and it turned out well.”